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Monopar Therapeutics Inc . (NASDAQ: NASDAQ:MNPR) announced the appointment of Quan Vu as the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), succeeding Karthik Radhakrishnan, effective today. The appointment comes as the company’s stock has shown remarkable momentum, with InvestingPro data showing a striking 1,381% return over the past six months. Vu, 53, comes with a robust background in corporate and financial strategy, investment banking, and public company experience.
Radhakrishnan’s employment with Monopar terminated on February 27, 2025, and he has since stepped down from his roles as CFO, principal financial officer, and principal accounting officer. The transition to Vu, whose appointment was decided by the Board of Directors on the same day, marks a new chapter for Monopar as the company continues to navigate the pharmaceutical preparations industry. According to InvestingPro analysis, the company maintains strong liquidity with a current ratio of 5.41, though analysts do not expect profitability this year.
Vu’s extensive experience includes a recent tenure as a Venture Partner at ZhongMei Capital, and previous positions as CFO and Chief Business Officer at Ocugen, Inc. (NASDAQ: NASDAQ:OCGN), as well as COO and Chief Business Officer for 180 Life Sciences Corp. (NASDAQ: ATNF). He has also provided consulting services through his firm, Melius BioPharma Consulting, and held leadership roles at Opiant Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:OPNT), Inc., Impax Laboratories, Inc., Elevance Health, Inc. (formerly Anthem, Inc.), and Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN), Inc. Vu’s early career included work in healthcare corporate finance and M&A at Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) and Goldman Sachs.
Vu’s educational credentials include an MS in Legal Studies from Cornell University Law School and a BA in Economics from UCLA. He is also a Certified Treasury Professional (inactive).
As part of his compensation package, Vu will receive an annual salary of $350,000, an annual target bonus of up to 35% of his base salary, and stock options to purchase 25,000 shares of Monopar’s common stock. With the company’s market capitalization at $193.38 million and analyst price targets ranging from $37 to $72, investors seeking deeper insights can access additional metrics and analysis through InvestingPro, which currently indicates the stock may be trading above its Fair Value. These options will vest partially on September 3, 2025, with the remainder vesting monthly under Monopar’s 2016 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended, and are set to expire ten years from the grant date.
Monopar has confirmed that Vu has no reportable related party transactions under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K. This executive change comes as the company, headquartered in Wilmette, IL, continues to develop its presence in the pharmaceutical sector.
The information in this article is based on a press release statement.
In other recent news, Monopar Therapeutics has announced the pricing of a new stock offering and a concurrent private placement of pre-funded warrants. The public offering includes 798,655 shares of common stock priced at $23.79 each, while the private placement involves pre-funded warrants for 882,761 shares at $23.789 per warrant. Monopar expects to raise $40 million in gross proceeds from these transactions, which will support general corporate purposes such as research and development and clinical trials. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Monopar Therapeutics with an Overweight rating, setting a price target of $72.00, citing significant potential from Monopar’s therapeutic pursuits. The analysts highlighted Monopar’s work on radiotherapeutics targeting a novel oncology marker and a small molecule for Wilson disease as key value drivers. In corporate governance news, Monopar appointed Lavina Talukdar to its Board of Directors following the resignation of Michael J. Brown. Talukdar, who brings over two decades of experience in investor relations and healthcare investments, will also serve on several committees until the next annual stockholders’ meeting. These developments underscore Monopar’s strategic moves in both corporate governance and capital raising activities.
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